Breaking Through
by Kilik850
Summary: This story is about the journey of Devon Misata as he tries to achieve his dreams and survive his nightmares.
1. Chapter 1

**Breaking Through...**

Chapter 1

It was time for the chunin exams once again. Devon, lined up with the rest of his teammates, listened to the speech that the special jonin was giving about the rules of the preliminaries.

"Man, what a drag. I haven't seen this many genins pass the forest of death since the time I took the exam. This is gonna be troublesome. Anyway, let's start the preliminary rounds."

Devon lifted the hood to his jacket over his eyes. He looked at the screen as his name flashed across it for the first match. He was facing someone named Sumaia. He didn't have to look around for long because Sumaia jumped up with pride. "I'm going first! I'm going to make you proud Sensei!" Sumaia's sensei patted him on the back. "You'll beat whoever that loser is with no problem! Believe it!" Devon smirked at the idea.

Everyone got onto the walkway as the match was about to begin. Devon looked up at all the jonins on the catwalk above. A couple of kunoichi, one with blonde hair and one with pink, were screaming at each other over who's squad would pass.

"My entire squad is going to pass, 'Billboard Brow'! I taught them almost everything I know!"

"That's why your squad is going to fail. You didn't know much to begin with!"

Devon shut them out and tried to focus on the task at hand. He could feel his sensei's blank white eyes piercing through him as he remembered his words. "Control is your ultimate weapon. Those with control are destined to succeed, while those without it are destined to fail." He also knew he could not lose control for other reasons, unknown to anyone but his sensei. If he lost control, it was all over.

Sumaia was standing in the middle of the floor tapping his foot and glaring at the proctor. "Can we start already?! I wanna beat this guy already! I can't lose! Believe it!" The proctor rolled his eyes at Sumaia's enthusiasm and looked up at Sumaia's sensei. "This kid is a total pain! He almost as bad as you," he thought to himself. The proctor looked up at his wife for a moment. She glared back down at him. "What the **** are you waiting for?! Start the **** match already!" He cringed at the thought of that fan hitting him again.

He turned his attention to Devon and Sumaia. "You may begin." Sumaia took his fighting stance and prepared a kunai. Devon just kind of stood there, tracing his foot along the floor. Sumaia was baffled that Devon had not attacked yet! He was just standing there tracing the floor in front of him with his foot! Like he was bored or something! "He must be waiting for me to do something! Well, I've got news for him!" Sumaia thought to himself.

He put up the kunai and dynamically pointed his finger in Devon's direction. "Listen up! My name is Sumaia Reizan and I'm going to beat you all! Believe it!" The pink-haired kunoichi rolled her eyes and looked at his sensei. "Just as annoying!" she thought to herself. One kunoichi just stared at his sensei and blushed, twirling her fingers around.

Devon smirked. He made an invisible line with his foot in front of him, as if daring Sumaia to cross it. "Tell you what dimwit. Since you think you can beat me so easily, I'll help you out a little. Free shot," he said, leaning his cheek over the line. Almost every genins' mouth dropped as low as their senseis'! "No? Oh, I'm sorry. Let me help a little more." He turned his back and sat on the floor with his legs crossed. "That better?" The catwalk almost collapsed when everyone fell at the sight of this!

Sumaia couldn't believe it! He smiled and rushed to take his victory shot. No one, other than Devon's sensei knew what he was doing. They also didn't see him making hand signs while he had his back turned. He had finally built up enough chakra when Sumaia's toes hit the line. He put his hand to the floor and released the chakra into the ground. "Secret Art: Power Sealing Jutsu!" The ground under Sumaia's feet began to glow blue. Sumaia stopped just before a blue barrier rose between him and Devon. Suddenly, three more barriers rose from the ground, trapping Sumaia in a crystal-shaped prison.

Devon bit his thumb and placed his hand on the floor. The floor around the prison began to glow red, revealing several seals drawn on the floor! Devon marked the prison with his blood and the seals covered the prison, and then dissipated.

"You mean he's been making seals with his foot the whole time! No genin should be able to do anything like that!" Sumaia's sensei exclaimed. He glared furiously at Devon's sensei. "How did he master such a powerful technique?! Did you teach him that?! What's the deal?!"

Devon's sensei just smirked. "I didn't teach him that. Part of his bloodline's unique ability is the power to make seals and barriers by concentrating enough of their chakra into different parts of the body. He's been trained seal techniques since birth."

Sumaia's sensei cringed. "Well, what's the other part of their abilities?" Devon's sensei closed his eyes at the question. "Well?! What the **** is it?!" His sensei opened his eyes and stared at Devon. "You don't want to see that. You don't even want to know that. Just hope that your student won't have to find that out first hand."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sumaia was stunned! He was trapped in a prison that was barely big enough for him to move around in! "Wait a second! I'm not out yet! I've still got sensei's technique up my sleeve! I'm still gonna win!" he thought to himself. He made the proper hand sign. His sensei knew exactly what he was up to. "Alright! Good thinking Sumaia!" He looked at Devon's sensei and pointed. "He's not out of this yet, d*** it! He's gonna bust that thing down from the inside!" Devon's sensei just lowered his head and grinned.

Sumaia shouted "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The weird thing was that nothing happened! Sumaia looked up and saw no clones! "What the ****! Sensei, did you show me the wrong technique again?!"

"I've never shown you the wrong technique **** it! You just ****** it up again! Try it once more!" his sensei shouted with flames coming out of his ears.

Sumaia nodded and made the sign again. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Once again, nothing happened! Sumaia was devastated. He looked directly at Devon and began to scream his head off! "What the **** did you do to me! What the **** is this anyway?! Let me out of here you chicken ****!"

Devon just smiled as he held his hands out towards the prison. "You should forfeit this match. There is nothing that you can do in there. And I do mean nothing! Why do you think it's called 'Power Sealing Jutsu'? You think they ran out of names or something? That prison is designed to absorb your chakra whenever you try to use it. You might as well just forfeit the match, because I can hold this all day. And if you keep screaming at me, eventually, you will run out of oxygen. Then again, you can always replenish your air by letting some out of your head!"

Sumaia was steaming! He began to pound his fists on the barrier and swear his head off. "Let me out of here, you son of a *****! I'll tear your ************ head off when I get out of here! Come on *******! Bring it *****!" All the spectators got a giant tear behind their head. The proctor sighed. "This kid is a real ***. It's gonna be a drag! I might as well call this thing. This whole match was just a drag." When he started to walk over, he and Sumaia's sensei both noticed something about Devon. Everyone began to notice that Devon wasn't standing as confidently as he once was. As a matter of fact, he was down on one knee! He looked exhausted as he struggled to hold his hands in place. As Sumaia kept cursing and banging against the prison, with each hit Devon looked weaker and weaker.

Sumaia's sensei grinned and then laughed. "Sumaia! Stop cursing and look at him!" Sumaia looked at Devon kneeling. As he began to look closer, he noticed that Devon's hands started to glow the same color as the prison. Everyone looked on as what appeared to be strings of chakra leading to the walls of the prison began to reveal themselves. Sumaia stopped pounding on the wall for a second. He raised his fist, drew back as far as he could, and hit the barrier again. He saw Devon cringe. "I've got you now! This prison's made of your chakra! And to keep it in place, you have to use most of your chakra to control it! Ha Ha! I'm still in this thing!"

Sumaia began to hit all of the barriers and Devon began to tire. One of his hands dropped from pure exhaustion. He struggled to hold up the other, but the damage looked to be done. The barrier between Devon and Sumaia began to become permeable. Pretty soon, Sumaia began to actually stretch the barrier with each strike! "Yeah! That's it **** it! Beat the barrier until you get to him!" Sumaia's sensei cheered. Sumaia's sensei looked at Devon's with a huge smile. "He's gonna beat your student yet!" Sumaia's sensei stopped smiling when he noticed the look of fear on Devon's sensei's face. He looked as his sensei's hands began to grip the railing tighter.

"No." he said. "Not here, not now! I don't think he can control it anymore!" He looked at Sumaia's sensei very intensely. "Tell your student to forfeit the match right now!"

"No way! You're just mad cause he's about to..."

"He's about to die if you don't tell him to forfeit now!"

Everyone's eyes got wide when Devon's sensei said that. They turned their attention back to the match with concerned looks. Devon's knees had given way. He was on the floor and his arm began to shake. He looked to be in serious pain. But something else was wrong. He was trying to remember his sensei's words about control, but something kept whispering to him. "Let go. I can take care of this. Let go. It will be easy for me. Let go. I'll bring us closer to Chunin. Let it out. Let me have control. Let me out!!" Devon's head began to slightly twitch. Sumaia had began to walk closer to Devon, the barrier wall stretching around him. But it seemed now that with every punch, Devon began to regain his strength. With every strike, Devon's eyes began to turn a darker shade of black until they were onyx colored. When Sumaia finally reached Devon, he threw one last punch at his head. But the punch stopped just short of his cheek. Sumaia's eyes grew wide when he realized he couldn't move his hand any more. He saw Devon begin to grin under his hood.

The barrier snapped back into position, slamming Sumaia against the other wall. Devon put his other hand back up and stood. When Sumaia stood up again, he noticed that Devon's eyes shined black under his forehead protector. Devon began to laugh menacingly. Everyone in the room suddenly felt a chill of fear. Devon's sensei closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he realized what had just happened. "It's just like I feared. He's loose again. Tell your student to forfeit before he's killed! Now dumb***! If he doesn't give, he will certainly die!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Everyone looked on as the room was swept with a feeling of fear. Devon just stood there laughing, head thrown back in madness. He stopped laughing and looked at Sumaia. "I can't believe that he had such a problem with you. But I will finish what he started. What he isn't strong enough to finish."

Sumaia's sensei burned a hole through Devon's sensei's head. "Why the hell is he talking like that?! What's going on?! What did you do?!" Devon's sensei lowered his head, closed his eyes and began to explain.

"Devon comes from the Misata clan. A very unique and almost extinct bloodline, the Misata's Kekkai Genkai is called Mukei Shihai. At birth, the parents of the child use a special sealing technique to infuse the honorable child with the spirit of an honorable progenitor of the clan, such as past kages and jonins. This technique allows the child's spirit to merge with the infused one to increase the child's natural capacity for chakra. In some cases, it even gives them some of the spirit's knowledge. Devon's father, however, went outside of the clan in this aspect. Instead of sealing the spirit of an honorable progenitor of the clan, Devon's father infused the spirit of a demon named Kaikaron into his son. His theory was that since the spirit and the child were both honorable, then their chakra had to merge. But if the spirit and the child were not compatible in honor, then it would create a separate source of chakra in the child!"

"His father did not take the mental aspect into account. Since Devon and Kaikaron were not compatible, instead of merging, they clashed and remained separated. Mukei Shihai allows the user to call upon the spirit to increase their chakra level to unnatural heights during battle. In order to increase the chakra, the spirit is allowed some control over the user's body. Devon is the opposite case. He doesn't use the Mukei Shihai. Kaikaron activates it at times when Devon can't suppress him anymore. Kaikaron can then use Devon's chakra at his will. And since they have separate chakra sources, Kaikaron now has complete control over the prison! Tell your student to forfeit the match before Kaikaron kills him!"

Sumaia's sensei gripped the rail and gritted his teeth. He felt his own Kyuubi writhing around at the thought of the death of his student. He calmed himself and looked at his student. The words almost choked him to death on the way out. "Sumaia! Forfeit the match now!"

Everyone turned in shock as the words echoed off the walls. Sumaia looked up at his sensei, almost crying. "Sumaia, this is not worth your life. I know I told you never to give up. But you have a long life as a shinobi ahead of you. You will have another chance at this. Now forfeit the match before I do it for you."

Sumaia, tears running down his face, looked at the proctor. He bowed his head as his tears began to cloud his vision. The words came out like coughing razors up through his throat. "I…Sumaia Reizan…forrrrrrr!" Sumaia came to the shocking realization that it wasn't the words that were choking him up. It was the water that was filling the chamber! The water was up to his mouth when he started gasping for air. But when Sumaia tried to swim to the top of the prison for more, he wasn't floating at all! Everyone saw him trying to jump and kick, but he was just staying on the ground!

Devon started laughing again. "I'm sorry. What was that? I think you had something in your throat!" He walked up to the chamber and put his hand on the prison in front of Sumaia's face. "What's wrong? Can't swim? Well, you probably could if I hadn't increased the gravity in there! **** I love that trick! I've got one more trick that I think you'll find electrifying!"

Devon stepped back and started making hand signs. Sumaia's sensei yelled "I forfeit the match for my student Sumaia. He gives up! Now end the match and let him go! End this!" Devon looked at Sumaia's sensei with a grin on his face while continuing the signs. "What do you think I'm doing genius?! I'm going to end this right now!" He stopped making signs and placed his hands on the prison. "Demonic Art: Elemental Charge Jutsu!" Everyone watched in horror as an electrical current of chakra began to flow through water in the chamber and Sumaia! Sumaia began to cry out in agony while the searing pain of the demon's chakra coursed through his body, amplified by the water in the prison. Devon smiled menacingly and began to laugh maniacally at the sight of Sumaia drowning and being electrocuted at the same time, wondering which will kill him first! Then, Devon began to feel his hands pull away from the chamber! He began to unwillingly step away from the chamber as he turned his head. The proctor was using a Shadow Possession Jutsu on him! Devon smirked. "You really think this can hold me?! You're not so smart after all!"

Without warning, Devon heard someone behind him shout "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Devon began to feel light-headed, and then he felt nothing. He saw his eyes turn back to normal as the blonde kunoichi took over his mind. She turned towards the chamber and spoke to Devon. "Release him now!" Devon regained control of his body and charged his chakra, racing towards the chamber. "Prison Release Jutsu!" He slammed his chakra-filled fist into the wall of the chamber and shattered it, releasing the water and Sumaia. Devon fell to his knees at the thought of what Kaikaron had done. The medics raced over to Sumaia and began trying to revive him. Everyone was filled with worry. The medics raced Sumaia out on the stretcher. Devon began to cry in anguish when he heard something say "Good job, future chunin! We're one step closer! And it's all because of me!" Devon began to slam his fist into the puddle of tears on the ground in front of him. The proctor looked at Devon with both hatred and pity. "The winner is Devon Misata."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Devon was walking through Konoha, silently reliving the horrors of his preliminary match with Sumaia. He almost broke down when he pictured Sumaia's face screaming in agony. His dismal mood was not helped by the villagers' looks and whispers as he passed. 'That's him. The demon boy.' 'He shouldn't be allowed to be a chunin.' 'Do you know that poor boy he nearly killed is still in a coma?' 'It's been 2 weeks and his burns haven't subsided.' 'They keep saying he might die.' 'The Anbu should just take him out right now.' 'That monster.'

Devon found an empty ramen shop and sat down. The owner looked at him and whispered something to the waitress. The waitress looked Devon up and down as if he stole the silverware. Devon picked up a menu and decided on 2 bowls. He waited for the waitress to come over and take his order. But she never did. She either started talking with the cook or took someone else's order, all the while glancing kunai in his direction. He waited for about 10 minutes before his patience finally subsided. He had never responded to anyone's comments about him before because it usually angered him enough to the point Kaikaron could escape again. But after 2 weeks of constant shunning, whispering and backbiting, he was finally ready to risk it.

He stood up and started to say something to the waitress when the owner walked over. "Is there a problem?" Said the owner in a very snide tone. "No. There's no problem. I just wanted to know what the wait time was before I actually get service." The owner took offense and stepped a little closer. "Maybe if you're not satisfied with the service here you could try the ramen shop about 2 miles up the road. They have fast service for your kind." "What do you mean by 'your kind'?" Devon asked with an innocent tone. Devon had known the meaning of 'your kind' since he was infused with Kaikaron. He just wanted to see if he was bold enough to actually say it. The owner got in Devon's face and spoke loudly so the other customers could hear him. "The demonic kind. Murderers, rapists, rogue shinobi, your kind."

Devon could feel Kaikaron squirming inside him. "Are you really going to let him talk about me like that?! About you like that?! I'll take care of him if you let me." Devon could feel himself slipping, losing control. He closed his eyes for 2 seconds to shut Kaikaron out, and then opened them to stare at the owner very threateningly. "If I'm such a demon, then why aren't you dead yet? After all, I am a murderer right? Since you know me so well, why aren't you hanging by your neck from your store sign?" Devon could see and feel everyone's eyes staring at him, full of fear. The store owner had dropped his gaze to the floor and was slowly stepping back. "Just get out of here before I alert the Anbu." Devon smirked at his cowardice and started to leave when he heard someone behind him. "Going so soon?"

He recognized the voice and spun around into a defensive stance, kunai prepared, to meet the gaze of Sumaia's sensei. He stared at Sumaia's sensei just standing there with no weapon prepared. Sumaia's sensei held his hands out to the side and innocently smiled. "Easy. I just wanted to know if you would sit and eat some ramen with me." Devon's head tilted slightly to the side as he tried to figure out what he meant by this! This man, of all people, would have reason to hate, if not kill, him! But there he stood, acting as if Devon hadn't nearly destroyed his student 2 weeks earlier! Devon and the store owner stared at Sumaia's sensei in disbelief for about a minute! "What?" Sumaia's sensei harmlessly asked. "I'm hungry!" Sumaia's sensei walked up to the store owner and put his hand on Devon's shoulder with a wide grin. "He's going to eat with me, okay?" The store owner grinned at him, took one more hateful look at Devon, and called the waitress over. "You can take his order now," he told the waitress as he went to the back. Devon got a tear of confusion on the back of his head as he walked to Sumaia's sensei's table. He sat in the booth across from Sumaia's sensei and ordered his food.

When the food arrived, Devon just stared in disbelief at the mountain of ramen dishes sitting in front of Sumaia's sensei! Sumaia's sensei stopped eating his 14th bowl when he realized Devon hadn't touched his yet. He kind of chuckled. "You made such a big deal about the service and now you're not eating? That's kind of funny!" Devon looked into the bowl, avoiding laughing. "How is Sumaia?" Devon asked into the bowl of ramen. Sumaia's sensei stopped eating and put his bowl down. "He's not as bad as everyone keeps saying. He's more disappointed in his loss than anything else. He should be back to training in a couple of weeks." Devon sighed, relieved that Sumaia wasn't on his death bed. He looked up from the ramen and looked at Sumaia's sensei perplexed. "Why are you being so nice to me? Everyone else just writes me off as a demon child. Why not you?"

Sumaia's sensei just grinned at the irony. "Because the villagers used to treat me the same way. I understand exactly what it means to be an outcast. It's nothing you've done, but they can't see past the thing that's inside you. Your sensei told me about your demon. Have you ever tried to control the demon himself yet?" Devon stared out the window. "My father taught me a certain jutsu that I could perform to temporarily release the demon. He told me that if I actually defeat my demon in battle, then I will be able to control him from then on." Sumaia's sensei stared at Devon. "Have you tried yet?"

"You don't understand. If I win the battle, I can control the demon. But if I lose, then my demon will permanently control me! And I don't think I can defeat him. My sensei has helped with my fighting skills, but he can only do so much. I just don't think I have what it takes to defeat him…" Devon's voice trailed as he saw Kaikaron's face in the window. He shut his eyes and looked again, seeing nothing but the window.

Sumaia's sensei finished his ramen and looked into Devon's eyes. "I know some people who can help you. I'll talk to your sensei tonight. Tomorrow, meet me here and we'll start our journey." He got up and started to walk out the door. He stopped and turned back to Devon. "It takes a while to get to the Village Hidden in the Sand."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Devon and his sensei walked up to the ramen shop. Sumaia's sensei was standing out front with a bowl of ramen turned up to his face, finishing the last of it. "It's about time you guys got here. That was my fifth bowl." Devon's sensei just shook his head. "Naruto, you could eat that many bowls in two minutes. Which is ironic because we're only two minutes late!" Naruto just grinned. "Well it's a long way to the Village Hidden in the Sand, Neji. Are you sure you guys don't want to eat first?" Neji looked at Devon. Devon shook his head and looked down. "Let's go Naruto. We would get there earlier if we went full speed." Naruto nodded and they all jumped to the rooftop. They all started running and leaping between roofs until they got to the edge of town. They jumped off the last rooftop and headed straight for the trees. After about nine or ten leaps from branch to branch, Neji and Devon noticed Naruto grab his stomach, utter some kind of a groan, wipe his mouth and continue. When Devon and Neji looked down where Naruto had stopped, they cringed as they saw used beef ramen on the ground, some of the branches and a very angry Anbu! Devon and Neji started jumping faster and passed Naruto in about 3 leaps!

Since they went full speed, thanks largely to the Anbu that pursued them, they reached the Village Hidden in the Sand in about an hour! They landed at the front gate and approached the guards. One of the two guards noticed their Leaf Village forehead protectors and immediately readied a sand shuriken. "State your intentions here!" Devon responded by drawing a kunai and aiming at the guard. Neji signaled Devon to holster the kunai. Naruto stepped forward as Devon put his kunai back in the pouch. "We're here to see Gaara. Is he here?" The other guard motioned for his partner to lower his shuriken. "My apologies. My partner's a bit high-strung. We were told to be alert to someone in the area from your village. It's not him. Put that away." His partner put the sand shuriken back and stepped back. The second guard continued. "Lord Kazekage is expecting you three. I will escort you." Neji and Naruto looked at each other thinking the same thing. "Lord Kazekage?!" The guard opened the gate and motioned for them to follow. Devon looked in amazement at the buildings that appeared to be made entirely of sand. To Devon, the village looked to be an amazing wasteland. Kaikaron, however, was not so astounded. "You'd think all it would take to destroy this place is a giant broom and dustpan!" Devon grinned.

When they finally reached the Kazekage mansion, they looked up and saw Gaara meditating on the roof with his gourd. "Wait here a moment." The guard leapt to the roof behind Gaara. Gaara opened his eyes and looked down at Neji, Naruto and Devon. The guard motioned for them to come up. They looked at each other and jumped to the roof. The guard disappeared as Gaara stood up. He turned and looked at Naruto. "Sorry about my guards. They can be a bit too cautious at times," said Gaara in his calm and raspy voice. Gaara then turned his gaze to Devon. Devon looked into Gaara's blue eyes. Usually, Devon was never intimidated by anyone. But this man was different. He could sense something monstrous behind his eyes. He could actually feel Kaikaron writhing in fear! So he knew there had to be something bad about this shinobi. "Is this the one you wanted me to train? Is this Devon?" Gaara could sense Kaikaron inside of Devon and immediately knew why Naruto brought Devon to him.

Naruto, still surprised by how calm Gaara was acting, was a little slow to respond. "Yes. He needs to learn how to defeat the demon inside of him so he will have control. The finals are in about 1 week. Can you help him?" Gaara continued to look at Devon. "I will train him under one condition. You two can't stay here for this. It will only distract him." Neji stepped forward. "I'm not leaving my student here with you for a week. There's no way. I will stay with him and…" Gaara knew where his comments were going and cut him off. "Fine. If you don't trust me, take him with you. See if you can control his beast." Gaara turned and sat down. Neji started to say something, but Devon pulled him to the side. "I know we still have more taijutsu training sensei. But if he can help me harness Kaikaron, I think it would be best if I stayed with him. I'll be fine." Devon then walked over and sat beside Gaara. "I'll train with you if you'll allow it." Gaara actually smiled a little. He slightly turned his head towards Naruto and Neji. "We have a lot of training to do. He will be back for the finals at the latest." With that, Neji and Naruto leapt off the roof and started to head for home. Neji took one more look back. "Take care Devon. I hope Gaara can maintain his own control."

As Neji and Naruto started jumping through the branches, Naruto felt uneasy for a second. "Stop for a second Neji." Naruto looked back toward the Sand Village and immediately felt someone staring back at him. "It…can't…be…him…" Naruto thought to himself. Neji looked at Naruto and then looked in the same direction. "Byakugan!" Neji stared and saw someone in the branches ahead. He sensed a very powerful source of chakra flowing through the person. Then he noticed the red and black eyes that formed a familiar pattern. "Is that…" Before he could finish, the person was gone. Neji and Naruto looked at each other. "I think we should alert the others as quickly as possible." Neji and Naruto leapt faster and faster as they began to realize that they knew exactly who that was…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

After two days under Gaara's study, Devon was already beginning to show an aptitude for sand manipulation. "Today, we will test your limits Devon." Gaara and Devon went to an isolated area of the Sand village. "Take off your shoes and we will begin." Devon followed instructions and stepped into the field of sand. "So what will we be doing today Lord Kazekage? More sand manipulation techniques?"

"Something like that. Sand Coffin!" Devon's eyes grew wide as he was instantaneously encased in a tomb of sand. He could barely breathe as he watched Gaara lift him into the air with a calm demeanor! "Wh…What…are…you…" Devon struggled to say before Gaara's raspy voice cut him off. "For three days now, we've been working on sand techniques. I've allowed you and your demon to absorb enough of my knowledge to actually break this technique. But now is the time for your most important lesson." Devon was gasping for air as Gaara created a column of sand that raised him to Devon's level. Gaara got in Devon's face and stared him down. "You are going to have to learn this if you ever hope to control your demon. You are not a meaningless shell for your demon. Your demon is a prisoner. He is a slave to you, not the other way around. Whenever generals go into battle, do you think they charge in head first? No. The foot soldiers, the infantry, those are the ones in the front line. Sometimes, you must make your demon realize that. I don't want you to break this. I want you to make him do it for you."

Devon was shocked and frightened by Gaara's demand! Control Kaikaron?! Make him do something for Devon?! He knew that was utterly impossible. Devon tried to manipulate the sand so it would loosen, but it got tighter and tighter. He could feel his ribs getting to their breaking point. Gaara knew he wasn't getting the message. "Why do you think that I've been teaching you how to block him out? I wanted you to be able to lock him out of your mind until the point you need him. That point is now. Because the harder you try, the harder I will push this. I will kill you if I have to get the message across. Now, make him break this before I break you!"

Devon was barely conscious. He was fading fast. He tried to loosen it again. He felt and heard a sickening crunch as two of his ribs snapped. The pain was too much to bear, and he lost consciousness. He felt himself sinking inside of his own body. He opened his eyes and saw Kaikaron looking at him. "What the hell are you doing here?! Get back out there and crush this *******! Don't make me kill you boy!" Devon instantly realized what Gaara meant. He knew exactly what to do. He sat down in a meditation position. Kaikaron was loosing his mind! "What are you doing?! I said get up there and take care of this before I hurt you!" Devon began to smile. "All my life, you've done what you wanted. You've taken control of me when you felt like it. Now, I'm taking control. You are going to stop him, not me. You can hurt me all you want. But if you don't take care of this, we'll both cease to exist. Remember, if I die you don't return to hell. You go to nothingness. And you'll be alone for the rest of your existence. So get to work!"

Kaikaron couldn't believe how arrogant he was acting! Kaikaron grabbed Devon by his shirt. He raised his fist to strike him. But he hesitated. He looked into Devon's eyes and saw Gaara staring at him. His fist was shaking as he saw a conceited smile creep across Devon's lips. He realized that Devon was right! He decided to play along, for now. Kaikaron started concentrating on Devon's chakra source. "Mukei Shihai!"

Gaara began to watch as Devon's eyes became a pitch black void. Kaikaron had taken over, like he planned. "You wanted me. Now I'll show you how stupid you were to try to control me!" Devon closed his eyes and began to channel his chakra. He began to glow red as Kaikaron's energy flowed through him as well. Slowly, the sand began to loosen its grip on him. He began to growl as he felt the pain from his broken ribs enter his mind. Gaara lowered himself back to the ground as he saw the coffin begin to dissipate. Gaara smiled as Devon busted out of the sand that encased him. Devon began to fall towards Gaara, aiming a kick toward his head. Gaara's sand shield instantly went up to defend him. When Devon's kick hit the shield, he began to smile. Gaara immediately realized why. He felt his own sand wrapping around his legs! His eyes widened because Kaikaron was enraged enough to actually control Gaara's sand! Perhaps Gaara had let his own demon drift too far from his mind! Devon smiled as he raised his fist to strike the Kazekage. He threw the punch directly at Gaara's left eye. But to his surprise, his punch stopped just short of Gaara's pupil! He couldn't move! He looked and saw his body being restrained by sand! Gaara's sand! Gaara smiled. "You didn't honestly think that you could control Shukaku, did you?"

Devon growled and tried to struggle as he felt himself lose consciousness. He began to slip out of reality. Kaikaron felt himself lose control of Devon's body. Kaikaron was dazed as he saw Devon float past him, still meditating. "You think that's it?! You think you can control me now?! You will never be in control of me! I will control you!" Devon smiled as Kaikaron's voice faded into his subconscious. Devon opened his eyes to see Gaara standing in front of him with a proud smile. Devon started to smile. Then the pain of his broken ribs buckled him over. Between the pain and exhaustion, Devon passed out. "You're almost ready Devon." Gaara made a stretcher out of sand and began to take him back to the medical ninjas. He stopped for a moment and stared into a tree behind him. He felt someone there. He dismissed it and kept going. The man in the tree stared at Devon. His red and black eyes almost burned a hole through Devon's body. "Devon Misata…he's the one."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Devon woke up in Gaara's home. He tried to sit up, but the medical ninjas lightly pushed him back down. "We're almost done sir. Just wait a couple of minutes." He reached over and felt very little pain coming from his ribs. "How long have I been out?" he asked one of the medics. The medic was still concentrating chakra into Devon's ribs. "Not long. Just about 5 hours. It's almost midnight. Once we finish, Lord Kazekage has asked that you just rest for tomorrow." The medic moved his hands away and pressed Devon's ribs. "Do you feel any pain?" Devon smiled. "No I don't. Thank you very much." The medics got up and left. Devon turned over and started to go to sleep when He felt a very eerie presence enter his room. He turned to see a shinobi with a sand village headband sitting by his bed. "Sorry to frighten you Devon. My name is Manako Fuusha. Lord Kazekage has instructed me to be your trainer until the tournament. Are you ready to begin?"

"I thought Lord Kazekage was supposed to train me. Did he give up on me or something?" Manako smiled. "Actually, it's the complete opposite. Lord Kazekage would not have sent me if he did not believe you were capable of being my student. Now, we've got about 3 days left to train you before you have to make your way back. We need to leave the village for this. So are you ready to leave?" Something about him didn't seem right. But something in Devon felt that he could trust this man. He sat up in the bed. "Yes. I can leave now." Manako smiled. "Excellent! Let's go." Manako and Devon left the mansion and headed through the forest, covered in darkness and shaded in the moonlight.

In the morning, Gaara went to Devon's room to find it empty. "Guards!" The guards appeared and bowed before Gaara. "Where is Devon?! I told you to make sure he was okay! Why is he not here?!" The guards looked at each other with puzzled stares. One of the guards looked up at Gaara. "Lord Kazekage, I thought you knew Devon left for his training last night around midnight. He left with the man you sent for him to train with." Gaara closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "You know I despise incompetence! You idiots! You fell for a genjutsu! I sent no one to train him!" Gaara rested his head in his hand. "Did you at least get his name?" The other guard looked down in shame. "His name was Manako Fuusha sir." Gaara used his sand to knock them down the hallway. "Go find Devon now! Search everywhere! There's no telling where he could be by now!" The two guards got up and disappeared. Gaara stood at the door, looking at the bed. He thought about the man's name and instantly scowled. He began to realize who it was that took Devon. "Uchiha."

Two Days Later…

Devon woke up in Manako's home, exhausted from yesterday's training. He sat up and saw Manako staring out of the window. Manako stood up and looked at Devon. "Today's the day, Devon. Today's the day you tame your beast." Devon cringed at the thought of using that jutsu. Manako sat at the foot of the bed and smiled reassuringly. "With all of the knowledge you've been given by the Lord Kazekage and me, why are you worried? You'll do just fine." Devon closed his eyes. "Because Kaikaron also knows everything that's been taught to me. And he has the malicious will to use it to its most destructive potential." Manako stopped smiling and got in Devon's face. "But you have one important thing that he lacks. You have the will to live. You have the power to live. Never forget that. Because that is what sets you apart from everyone else. Now, get ready and we'll go back to the training ground." Manako stood up and walked outside. Devon got up and looked in the mirror. Kaikaron's face flashed over his. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, today is the day that I rise and you fall! Ha Ha Ha Ha!" Kaikaron teased. Devon smirked and stretched his neck from side to side. He looked into Kaikaron's "eyes" and said "Sensei Manako is right. I have the will to live. But both you and he missed something about me." Kaikaron stopped laughing and looked at Devon. "I'll do whatever it takes to make certain that you feel the pain you've caused me throughout my life. As long as you feel that pain, I don't care if I win or lose." Devon stepped back and kicked the mirror. He stared at the shattered pieces for a moment, then finished getting dressed and headed outside.

Manako looked inside and saw the mirror broken on the floor. He sighed and shook his head. "You know you owe me a new mirror right?" Devon nodded and they started walking towards the training ground. Manako stopped for a second. "Better yet, let's go somewhere else. You'll probably need the room." Devon followed Manako to an empty field. Manako found a stump and sat on it. "Just like I taught you. And remember, you have the will to live." Devon bowed his head and stepped into the middle of the sand-covered field. He concentrated his chakra into the sand and began to make it rise above his head. The sand formed and hardened into a large dome that covered almost the entire field. Devon then began to concentrate on Kaikaron's energy like his father had taught him. He made the appropriate hand signs and shouted "Secret Art: Spirit Release Jutsu!" Red chakra began to pulsate around Devon. The chakra left Devon's body and went into the ground. The ground began to shake and crack around him. Red chakra began to glow from the cracks. Then the shaking and glowing stopped. Devon looked around and saw no trace of Kaikaron. He started to question whether he had performed it right or not when he suddenly had to back flip twice to avoid Kaikaron's fist coming out of the ground for his head. Devon stood back up to see Kaikaron standing in front of him. It was no surprise that Kaikaron looked exactly like him, except for the fang-shaped teeth. Devon's father told him that when he performed the technique, the spirit would appear as he would.

Kaikaron smiled and tilted his head, looking Devon up and down with a sadistic grin. "So that's what you look like from out here! I always wondered that!" Kaikaron looked like he was eyeing new clothes! "You ready to die Devon?" Kaikaron moved into his fighting stance. Devon moved into a different stance and smiled. "I've been ready to die since you came into my life. Today is no different."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Manako stood outside the dome and waited patiently. "Today is the day we find out if I was right about you Devon. If you really are the one…" he thought to himself. Inside the dome, the tension in the air was thick with hatred as Devon and Kaikaron were staring each other down. The opening at the top of the dome provided enough light for them to see the anger flowing in each other's eyes. Devon cringed as Kaikaron smiled, revealing his razor like teeth that gleamed in the sun. With the blink of an eye, Kaikaron was gone! Devon turned around just in time to block Kaikaron's kick and grab his leg. Devon's eyes widened when he realized it was a sand clone! He felt a sharp pain in his back as Kaikaron connected with a blow to his spine! The clone dissapated as Devon fell forward through it. He caught himself before he hit the ground and spun around in time to see Kaikaron rushing in for a kick. Devon used his momentum to push his lower body off the ground and plant both feet in Kaikaron's face. Kaikaron staggered back as Devon flipped up onto his feet. Devon took out three shuriken and threw them at Kaikaron's head. Kaikaron fell backward as the three deadly weapons just barely missed his corneas. He balanced his upper body and looked up in time to see four kunai coming down towards his head. He quickly rolled to his left to avoid the kunai, but could not avoid Devon's foot kicking him square in his jaw! The blow connected with enough force to lift Kaikaron off the ground! He managed to use his momentum to turn in midair and land on his feet. He wiped the blood from his mouth as he stood up. "Guess this will be a little harder than I thought," Kaikaron said through his crimson coated teeth.

Devon turned and faded away from Kaikaron's vision. Kaikaron turned in time to get a knuckle-to-pupil view of Devon's right hand. He staggered back and went into a defensive stance, but Devon was already at his other side. Devon went for a spin kick and missed Kaikaron's head by his hair. Kaikaron grabbed his leg, concentrated his chakra and threw Devon across the dome! Devon landed and began to run back when he saw that Kaikaron was gone. He turned and scanned the dark areas of the dome. He stopped when he saw the outline of a figure against one of the far walls. Devon smiled at the thought of his own demon hiding from him! "What's this? The big bad demon is hiding! What happened to me falling? The only one that's been falling so far is you! You can't hide from me forever Kaikaron!"

Kaikaron laughed maniacally. "Who says I need to hide from you?" He finished the hand signs and shouted "Bringer Of Darkness Jutsu!" Devon stopped as a pitch black void began to cover the dome. The darkness enveloped everything around Devon as he saw Kaikaron disappear from his vision. Devon could see no further than his own body! He began to hear Kaikaron laugh uncontrollably. Kaikaron's voice sounded like it echoed within the void. "Your taijutsu is very good. I'll give you that. You're a lot faster than I give you credit. But like the saying goes, you can't hit what you can't see!" Devon moved into a defensive stance to no avail. He was struck with what felt like a foot to his ribs. He tried to brace himself, but was met with a punch to the back. Devon tried to fight back. But every time he threw a punch or kick into the darkness, he was met with six simultaneous blows! The whole time, Kaikaron's laughter echoed in the void, taunting Devon as he was being assaulted from all sides. He began to slip in and out of conciousness from the relentless assault. He knew he could not take this for much longer. He could barely breathe before the wind was knocked out of him again and again. As he began to black out, Kaikaron's laughter was drowned out by other voices. "Control is your ultimate weapon. Those with control are destined to succeed, while those without it are destined to fail." "You have the will to live. You have the power to live. Never forget that. Because that is what sets you apart from everyone else." "Come back to me Devon."

Devon opened his eyes and managed to stand up. He fought through the pain as he closed his eyes and took a breath. He tried to anticipate the movements in the darkness. He felt a kick coming towards his head, grabbed the leg and broke the knee using an elbow strike. He sensed four fists in either direction of his head, ducked and used a windmill kick to hit all four opponents. Kaikaron was in shock as Devon actually began to dominate his sand clones! He concentrated his chakra to create more, but it was too late. Devon was gone! Kaikaron looked around for him, but could not find him. He sensed Devon's presence and spun around. He reeled as Devon punched him in the nose. He regained his footing and stood in a look of amazement and anger. "How?! How did you break that genjutsu?!" Kaikaron stopped yelling when he looked at the blood trickling from Devon's shoulder and the blood-soaked kunai in his other hand.

"You've underestimated me for the last time. Manako was right. I have the power and will to live. That makes me different from you. That also makes me better. Because while you've been trying to destroy me, I've succeeded in trapping you!" Devon made the proper hand signs and put his hands to the ground. Kaikaron knew what was coming and jumped to avoid being trapped, but Devon just smiled. "Secret Art: Power Sealing Jutsu!" Kaikaron looked around as the ground began to glow blue from the seals. The barriers appeared, but this time they did not close. To Kaikaron's dismay, they actually started to rise after him! The barriers rose and formed a ceiling around him in midair! Kaikaron was brought back down to the ground as the prison shrunk to its normal size.

Kaikaron smiled as he stared at Devon from inside the prison. He began to sarcastically clap. "Good job. You've managed to delay the inevitable. But you and I both know some good shots from me and this thing will be broken in no time. You can't hold me forever." Devon laughed so disturbingly it chilled Kaikaron to the bone. He outstretched his hand to the wall. He pushed slightly as the prison began to grow in size. Kaikaron watched as Devon actually stepped into the prison with him! The wall sealed shut behind him. "Did you forget something about this thing? It sucks out the chakra of those inside the prison when they try to actively use their chakra, not when they're maintaining it for the prison itself!" Devon smiled and moved into an offensive stance. "My whole life I've been afraid of you because I've always believed that you were stronger than me. But in here, we're the same. And when this is over, only one of us will step out of this thing."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"I can't believe I actually trusted you with my student!" Neji yelled at the top of his voice. Gaara just stood in the Hokage's office staring right back into that blank glare of Neji's. "I should have never left him alone with you!" He then directed his attention to Naruto standing beside Gaara. "And you! This is just as much your fault as it is his! What were you thinking even suggesting taking Devon to him?! I just knew he wouldn't be safe in the hands of a monster!"

Gaara suppressed his demon's urges to strangle Neji for his insolence and got in Neji's face. "I've already explained that the disappearance of your student was not my fault. I have had everyone in my village searching for him for three days now. He could be anywhere by now." Neji was infuriated. "Yes, including on his way to heaven courtesy of you! How do we know that you didn't lose control of your own demon and kill Devon in the process?!" Gaara felt Shukaku struggling to get free when the Hokage interrupted.

"Enough of this! Neji, we all understand how much your student means to you and we're still doing all we can to find him. But right now is not the time to blame one another. We need to be focusing on the other threat to our village." Neji took one last look at Gaara and lowered his head. "I apologize. I should have taken my own advice and kept control of myself. I didn't mean to ..." Gaara turned away. "Yes you did. But I don't blame you for it."

"Okay. Now, are you certain it was him Gaara? It could not have been anyone else?" the Hokage continued. Gaara focused his attention to the Hokage. "I'm positive. The name he used translates to Windmill Eye. It can't be anyone else." The Hokage leaned back in the chair. "If it really is him, we need to figure out what he's planning and what part Devon plays in all this. Why would he come back after all this time? Why now?" The Hokage leaned forward against the desk when there was a knock on the door. An Anbu nearly ripped the door off its hinges when she rushed in. The Hokage stood up. "I thought I told you no interrupt…" "They found him! They found Devon! Come quick!" Everyone turned with wide eyes of hope and rushed out of the room. The Anbu member led the way to the hospital as he explained more. "A couple of Anbu found him at the entry road to the village. He was in unconscious and in critical condition. Sakura and Shizune are there now with a team of medical ninjas doing what they can."

Everyone rushed upstairs to his room and saw Sakura, Shizune and four other medical ninjas standing over Devon. Shizune pushed them all back out of the room. "I'll update you in a moment, but for right now I need you all to stay out here." She went back in and closed the door behind her. The Hokage, Neji, Gaara, and Naruto paced up and down the waiting room for 3 hours before Shizune came back out. Shizune walked over to them and wiped her brow.

"It was close. He had multiple broken bones, a detached retina, and stab wounds from kunai. He lost a lot of blood, but we were able to heal most of his wounds. It will still take some time to completely heal his injuries, but for now he is stable." Neji started to walk forward, but Shizune stopped him. "He's in no condition to talk to anyone right now. I'll let you know when he can have visitors." Neji nodded and stepped back as Shizune went back into the room. The Hokage and Gaara turned to Neji. "We have to prepare everything for tomorrow's exam. Keep us updated." Neji nodded his head and they left. Naruto stayed with Neji in the waiting room for what seemed like 10 hours. Finally, the door opened again and Shizune, Sakura and the medical ninjas walked out of the room. Neji and Naruto stood up as Sakura came over to them. "He's up and alert. We were able to heal him, but he still needs to rest before tomorrow. We'll go tell the Hokage. You can see him now." Naruto left with Sakura. "Say, after all that you have to be hungry. How about we take a trip to the ramen shop after we tell the Hokage?" "That's fine as long as you buy this time. You nearly ate up my whole paycheck last time!"

Neji walked into Devon's room to see him lying there wrapped in bandages staring out the window. "It's good to see you again. How are you feeling?" Devon just continued to stare out the window. Neji pulled up a chair and sat by his student. He lowered his head. "I can't tell you how relieved I am to see that you are alright. They told me about your condition before. Who did that to you? Was it…" Devon turned over and stared at his sensei. "It was my other half. So in a way, I did this to myself." Neji's eyes widened. "You performed the Spirit Release jutsu?! What happened? Did you defeat him?" Devon started to answer as Shikamaru walked in. "Well, well. There he is. How are you?" Devon just looked blankly up at Shikamaru and blinked. "Let me guess, that's about the 25th time today you've been asked that question? Anyway, I'm just here to ask if you think you are up to tomorrow's exam. No one would blame you if you dropped out."

Devon grinned eerily at Shikamaru. "We'll be there. Nothing can stop us that easily." Shikamaru and Neji glanced at each other as Devon turned back over and went to sleep in anticipation of tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Devon rolled over the next morning to see the clock turn to 7 AM. He stretched and slowly rose from his hospital bed. He stood up and saw that his wounds were gone for the most part. He was just starting to put his shirt on when he heard the door open. He turned and felt someone hug him tightly and kiss his chest. He smiled as he removed his shirt from his head. "Hi Hatori-chan. I've missed you." Hatori Miharu wiped the tears from her eyes and began beating on his chest. "Don't you ever do that again! I was worried sick about you! Some people told me you'd died, others said you'd went rogue, I just didn't know what to think anymore…" Her tears began again as he grabbed her hands. He embraced her and then wiped her tears away while holding her chin in his hand. "I told you I'd come back to you. I would never just leave you like that. You know I love you." She smiled again and he followed suite, feeling better about her improved mood. He dried his chest off with a towel and started putting on his clothes again. She stood and watched. When he finished, he turned and struck a kabuki pose. "what do you think? Too flashy?" he joked. She erupted in laughter. "Not at all, not at all. As a matter of fact, that's very in this season!" she replied in her fashion critic's imitation. They both laughed for a while until Neji knocked and entered. "Oh, hello Hatori. How are you today?" She turned and bowed. "Just fine, Neji-san." She may not have like honorifics, but she knew to give respect where it was earned. "I was hoping to get a moment of Devon's time before he went to the stadium for his match." "That's fine. I've got to go find a seat anyway. I want a good view of my boyfriend becoming a Chunin!" As Hatori walked out, she turned around and flashed Devon a winning smile then left. Neji waited until she was down the hall and closed the door.

"Now that we have some time, I just wanted to go over some of the events of your training with you." Devon nodded and they both took seats. Devon proceeded to tell Neji everything about his training with Gaara and Manako. He could tell something was wrong because his teacher looked worried and he never really showed any emotion. "Sensei, what's going on? Why does everyone keep asking me about Fuusha-san but no one will say why? I think I have a right to know why everyone's treating me like a rescued child." Neji sighed. "No one can tell you why by order of the Hokage. It has been deemed a classified matter and no one can discuss it until the Hokage says otherwise. Not even you can know the details of the deliberations." "No offense sensei but I think if anyone should know, it should be me." With that, Devon stood up and started to walk out of the room. "You won't have time." Devon stopped at the door handle as Neji's voice cut him off. "The Hokage's at the stadium already and your match is first. You don't have time to discuss these matters. It can wait until after the tournament." It still surprised Devon that his teacher could almost read his mind. It also didn't help his nerves that he did it with ghost white eyes. Devon exhaled and turned to face his teacher. "Sensei, when the matches are over, will you go with me to speak with the Hokage about this?" Neji stood up and walked towards the door. "Of course, but right now you have a match you need to get to." He opened the door and they left the hospital.

When they arrived at the stadium, the matches were just about to begin. Neji and Devon parted ways as Devon made his way to the stadium floor. On his way through the tunnel, Devon had to avoid the kunai and shuriken being stared in his direction from the other participants. He couldn't blame them for the previous showing he'd made during his preliminary match. But he didn't care at this point. He was trying to concentrate on his upcoming match. Just as he reached the end of the tunnel, he heard someone call his name. He turned to see Sumaia running down the tunnel with Naruto behind him. Devon was more than relieved to see Sumaia up and running. "Hey, almost missed you. How have you been? Heard you had a rougher time in the hospital than me!" Sumaia grinned as Naruto slapped him in the back of the head. "Sumaia, that's not very nice now is it?" Sumaia stared at the ground while rubbing the growing knot on his cranium. Devon just grinned. "That's okay. I'm just glad to see that you're out of yours. How's your training been going lately?" Sumaia stopped rubbing his head and smiled. "Great! Sensei's taught me a few new moves! And I should be able to get back to missions in no time! During my downtime, my teammates have been helping me by sparring constantly. But I'd like to spar with you sometime after the matches are over." Devon got an evil gleam in his eye and grinned. "That's fine. But just know that I've changed. It'll be…interesting to say the very least." He put his hood over his head and stepped out onto the stadium grounds, leaving Sumaia looking puzzled and Naruto looking concerned. "Come on Sensei, we've gotta get seats!" Sumaia started dragging Naruto away while Naruto kept going over the same thought he had been since Devon was found. "What happened to him out there?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When Devon stepped into the stadium, he almost went deaf from the roar of the crowd. He looked up from under his hood and scanned the crowd. His sensei was sitting with his clan, Naruto and Sumaia weren't that far away, and Hatori was by her mother. He waved to her and she flashed him a victory sign. He walked up to the seven other participants and took his place. He looked up and saw Gaara sitting with the Hokage. They were both eyeing him with an intent he couldn't decipher. The Hokage in particular was staring while he was discussing something with Gaara. "I'm still not sure about letting him compete. We don't know what happened to him out there. I should pull him out until we can discover the nature of his training and whether he's a threat to this village. And there's still the question of his control over the demon." Gaara did not pull his focus away from Devon as he responded. "Pulling him out now would be a bad idea. He obviously brought Devon back in time for a reason. He might actually be here for all we know, trying to see if his training worked. Besides, I have faith that Devon can now control his demon. We all have our demons to face after all." The Hokage grinned a little at that.

Devon's focus shifted back to the field when the proctor jumped onto the field. Devon cocked his head as he saw the bag of half empty chips in the proctor's hand! Was he snacking already?! Choji smiled and turned back to the crowd. "Welcome everyone! Welcome to our honored guests from visiting villages and a special welcome to the Kazekage! The final rounds of the exam are about to begin. Good luck to all the participants! First up, we have Devon Misata against Kyousuke Lee. All other participants please leave the arena floor." Choji balled up the now empty bag of chips and pulled a bag of pretzels out of his pocket. "Does he do nothing but eat?!" Devon wondered. Devon stared at his new opponent. He wore a green training outfit, leg warmers and was strapped with enough kunai for a squad of four! Devon smirked as he lifted his hood. "I only have one question for you. Why are you wearing a onesie?" Kyousuke's eyes widened in anger as he pointed dynamically into the sky. "This is not a onesie! This is a very sleek training outfit passed down from my father's teacher to my father to me! It has a honorable heritage as one of the best outfits in Konoha!" Everyone in the crowd groaned except three people. Rock Lee, Might Guy and Tenten all stood up in the crowd and shouted their praise in unison. "You tell him son! Go get him!" Tenten shouted. "Yes! The power of youth lives in that outfit and in that fine student!" Might Guy exclaimed as his teeth gleamed and blinded someone nearby. Rock Lee began to cry as he jumped from his seat. "That's right son! Show him the power of youth! No one insults our family fashion sense like that!" Devon looked up in the stands, then back at Kyousuke. He shrugged his shoulders. "Training outfit, onesie, either way it looks like you're more ready for a pillow fight than a match." Kyousuke turned lava red at that! "That's it! I've had enough! I'm going all out to teach you the power of youth first hand!"

Kyousuke bent down and took the leg warmers down a bit to reveal a set of weights on each leg. He removed the weights and smiled. The pretzel fell out of Choji's mouth as the weights hit the ground and a large crater formed around them! Devon just smirked a little. "Let the match begin!" Choji shouted. Kyousuke flash stepped and began running around Devon at full speed, creating a ring of dust in his wake. Devon drew two kunai and tried to follow him, but he was too fast to see. Kyousuke smiled as he drew two kunai. He threw one for Devon's head and the other for his shoulder. Devon ducked the first and barely deflected the second before a third and fourth sliced into his forearm. He winced as he turned and saw 20 kunai heading his direction with deadly accuracy! Devon managed to deflect and evade most of the projectiles, but he took one to the back of his shoulder that brought him to a knee. When Kyousuke saw this, he ran at Devon with full speed. Before Devon could blink, Kyousuke punched him in the jaw and sent him flying about 10 feet in the other direction. Devon recovered in mid air and barely landed on his feet, holding his jaw. Kyousuke stopped and held his hand out in Devon's direction, challenging him. "And that's just a taste of the power of youth! You can't catch me in that prison of yours because I'm too fast for you! You might as well give up now because you can't match the power of youth!"

Devon wiped the blood from his lip as he surveyed his wounds and smiled. "Well, if you wanna play it that way…" Hatori smiled as Devon removed his jacket to reveal a long sleeve mesh shirt. Devon dropped the jacket and everyone, including Lee's family, almost fell out as the jacket hit the ground and created an equally large crater! Devon stood up and stretched his back out. "That feels a little better." Rock Lee stood up and pointed at Neji. "What's the meaning of this?! You stole Guy-sensei's specialized training for me?!" But he stopped as he noticed Neji was as surprised as everyone else. Rock Lee's attention was pulled back to the arena as he saw his offspring take off in Devon's direction. Kyousuke was about to sweep Devon's legs when Devon flash stepped faster than Kyosuke could see! He turned just in time to catch Devon's foot with his left jaw. Kyousuke reeled a few feet, but recovered. His feet barely touched the ground before Devon flash stepped beside him and punched him in his right jaw. The force spun Lee around and sent him flying back towards the wall. He managed to toss a few kunai, but Devon avoided them all with ease. Devon was about to rush in when he saw Kyousuke starting to cry!

He looked puzzled and stopped. "You can give up. There's no shame in quitting now. You can always make it through next time. Let's just end this now. There's no need to continue." Kyousuke stood and wiped the tears from his eyes. He turned to look at his family. Might Guy recognized the look in his eyes and stood up. "Go for it Lee! I'm sure your father will understand! Besides, you can always do pushups on your thumbs to make up for it!" He gave Kyousuke a thumbs up and flashed him a blinding smile. Rock Lee stared in confusion as his son shook his head and turned to face Devon. "It's not over yet! Father, I'm sorry but I must do this!" Kyousuke flashed hand signs and summoned a katana in his hands! Rock Lee almost slipped on his own tears when he jumped from his seat. "My son…my son…can perform jutsu?!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Rock Lee, eyes full of tears, stared in amazement and great pride at his son. He was still in surprise that his son could do something he could never achieve. He looked to his old sensei and Guy just smiled and bowed his head. "Yes Lee that's correct. Your son can perform jutsu. I believe that's mostly your wife's genes running through him mixed with your drive. But when he found out you could not do jutsu, he made a promise to himself and to me that he would never use jutsu either. That he would earn his success and his rank as a shinobi through hard work and determination just like you." Guy raised his head and flashed a winning smile. "But desperate times call for desperate measures." Rock Lee wiped the tears from his eyes and turned his attention back to his battle weary son. Kyousuke gripped the manifested weapon with a new determination. "I will not lose here! I will prove that the springtime of youth still lives through me!" Kyousuke began to channel his chakra through the katana and through himself. Devon brought out a kunai in each hand and took a defensive stance, crossing them in front of his face and crouching slightly. Just as Kyousuke's blade began to glow blue, he took off. He made a beeline towards Devon, with the sword leaving a light blue trail as he held it at his side. "Damn," Devon thought to himself. "He's moving even faster than before. No time to move!" Devon tightened his grip on his kunai and tried to brace for the blow. Just as the blue streak reached Devon, it disappeared! He quickly turned and found Kyousuke swinging up for his torso. Devon barely managed to cross the kunai in front of him as the katana came up with so much force it shattered the kunai, slashed Devon from his left hip to his right shoulder and threw Devon back to the wall. As soon as he hit the wall, he flash stepped away only to find Kyousuke in his path with his katana two feet from running him through. "Damn! I might have to do it." As Kyousuke thrust the katana at Devon's heart, Devon flash stepped again into the trees. Kyousuke recovered and charged into the trees, using his chakra enhanced blade to cut down everything in his path. He found Devon behind a tree and swung the edged weapon of death, slicing the tree and his opponent in two. But as Devon's upper torso fell to the ground, it turned to sand!

Kyousuke's eyes widened in shock as he frantically began to search for Devon. His search ended when he heard the words "Bringer Of Darkness Jutsu!" Lee turned around and barely caught a glimpse of Devon smiling behind him before he was enveloped by the shadowy abyss. The crowd was stunned, but no one was more stunned than the Hokage! "Where did he learn that?!" the Hokage silently pondered. Before anyone could say anything, Devon began making hand signs for a jutsu that only two people in the crowd recognized. Neji's eyes widened as he jumped from his seat. "No Devon! Don't do it!" It was too late. "Secret Art: Spirit Release Jutsu!" Naruto stood as the pulsating red chakra surrounded Devon. He felt the Kyuubi writhing around again as the chakra left Devon and creeped into the ground. Neji gripped the rail as the ground cracked and shook. Gaara leaned forward in his seat as what looked like a clone burst through one of the cracks in the earth and took its place beside Devon. Devon and Kaikaron exchanged glances, grins and then nodded to each other. Kyousuke was trying to break the genjutsu when he felt the earth shake and stopped. He took a defensive stance to no avail. "Secret Art: Diamond Sealing Jutsu!"

Kyousuke tried to run to the left, but instantly met what felt like a wall. As the darkness began to fade, it was replaced by the sight of a diamond shaped prison! Kyousuke looked out and saw Devon charging the prison and what looked like a clone holding it in place. Kyousuke remembered the weakness and tried to slash at the prison to weaken it. But when his blade hit the wall, it shattered! Kyousuke looked on in horror as Devon reached the prison. Devon punched at the prison. The crowd and Kyousuke were taken aback when Devon's fist hit the wall and replicated through each cut in the prison! At least 20 fists struck Kyousuke in all directions! With the strength and momentum Devon put behind the strike, Kyousuke stood no chance. His world faded to black as he went unconscious. When Devon withdrew his hand from the prison, he was rewarded with crimson-stained gashes lining his forearm. Devon fell to the ground as Kaikaron released the prison. Kaikaron began to change into red chakra and seep into Devon as Choji declared him the winner and the crowd erupted in cheers.


End file.
